by Lauren Wood
15
Clara
My phone started buzzing again, and I didn’t have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. Just a few days ago, all I’d wanted was for him to pick up the phone and call me, and now it seemed like that was the only thing that he was doing. It made me wonder what life he had outside of me.
I didn’t plan on answering the phone. My father had told me that he’d gone and informed Klaus about the bun that I had in the oven. He didn’t even bother to ask me before he made the trip and came back.
For a while, I’d hoped that Klaus would drive over here to whisk me away, and we’d start building our life together. But things were never that simple. He didn’t come, and by the way he was texting and calling, I couldn’t help but to feel that the news that he was giving me wasn’t going to be the greatest.
I already had an idea of what he was going to say, and I didn’t want to hear it. If I actually heard the words leave his mouth, I knew that I would be heartbroken and crushed. Instead, I preferred to live in my own little mind where nothing that he said could hurt me.
Klaus wasn’t going to want to do anything with the child, and I wasn’t going to be surprised when he said so. After all, he was the playboy billionaire, and I was just another one of his conquests.
He’d said that wasn’t the case, but could I really trust him?
He hadn’t bothered to talk to me after everything went down, and it was plain as day to me what he thought. Obviously, he’d had my number. He had just decided that he didn’t want to use it. How many excuses had I made for him because I loved him? Well, it was time for the excuses to end.
Even though I hadn’t been planning for this child, I was not going to let him or her live in a world where they weren’t loved by both of their parents. I didn’t need anything from Klaus, not his money, nothing, and he didn’t even have to show up if he didn’t want to be a part of the baby’s life. I would be able to figure it out fine.
And my dad had already shown me that the past was behind us, and he was going to be there to support me every step of the way.
In a couple years, I’d probably find someone else, fall in love, and give the kid a stepfather. Sometimes stepparents could be better than the real deal, and there was no way that I would invite someone into my child’s life that wouldn’t cherish them as much as I did.
The thing that I needed the most was to talk to my best friend. Shae was selfish, but that was exactly what I needed. Throughout my life, everyone had always called me a selfless person, and I needed a friend who would remind me to think of what was best for me and not just everyone else. And Shae could do that.
Although to be fair, the conversation did always end up circling back to her, but I never said that she was perfect. And sometimes she really got on my nerves, but that didn’t mean that I loved her any less.
But every time I made an effort to go and call her, my phone was interrupted by Klaus, instead. It was really beginning to frustrate me, but what was I supposed to do about it? If I didn’t answer then there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he was going to keep calling. But if I did answer then we would finally have the conversation that I’d been dreading this entire time.
And I didn’t want that, not really, but maybe it was time for me to act like an adult and clear the air. Things would be so much easier for me when I got it over instead of trying to avoid the inevitable forever.
I answered the phone.
My heart was racing. “Look, Klaus, I know why you’re calling and honestly, you don’t even need to bother. I know my dad told you about the baby, and it, honestly is what it is. There’s nothing that we can do about it. I’m keeping the baby, but I don’t expect you to stick with us. This wasn’t what you asked for when we had sex, and I’m not going to hold you into a relationship that you don’t want. So consider this your freedom, and I hope that…”
“Will you shut the fuck up?” Klaus interrupted me.
I hadn’t even noticed that I’d been ranting. I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“Just stop talking and open your balcony door.”
I was beyond confused, but something told me that he was not going to stop asking me until I did it. I wasn’t sure why he felt that I had to do this, but it didn’t matter. If doing this made him stop calling me then it was worth it. We both knew how this was going to end, and I’d rather just get it over with.
“Fine,” I said into the phone before getting off of my bed and opening the balcony door like he had asked me to. “Look, it’s open now, are you happy?” I asked him, rolling my eyes. Why was he playing this game?
“Turn around, Clara.”
“For what…” I drifted off when I noticed him, inside of my room. He’d climbed right onto the balcony and inside. “Klaus,” I said his name and ended the call. There was no need for it when he was right in front of me.
“What were you saying, baby girl?” Klaus asked me, as he took the phone out of my hand and threw it down onto the bed. He raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew that he was basically daring me to say something that he didn’t like. He looked like he was already on edge, and not just because he’d climbed my balcony.
But I didn’t have anything to say. He was standing in front of me for the first time in over a month, and all I could do was stare at him and be reminded of just how good looking this man was. It was absolutely ridiculous. Despite everything that was going on between us, all I wanted was for him to throw me against the bed and take me just like he’d done before.
Klaus had other things on his mind.
He grabbed my wrist and looked into my eyes. I felt like he was furious with me, but that didn’t explain why he pressed me against his chest and squeezed me tight, as if he didn’t ever want me to leave.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered into my ear. It seemed like most of the anger had evaporated, and now he was just sad or disappointed. And I felt bad for hurting him. That hadn’t been my intention, at all. “I have a right to know, you should have told me, Clara. I shouldn’t have had to hear the news from Antonio.”
“I know, and I’m so sorry.” It felt good to be this close to him again. I, finally, felt relaxed. I laid against him and let my body rest against him. This was the first time in a long time that I’d actually felt happy. “If it means anything, I didn’t know that he was going to do that. He didn’t tell me. I just woke up, and he was gone.”
“He shouldn’t have been able to.” Klaus was working himself up again. “I should have been the first person that you told.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” I whispered into his shoulder.
Klaus pulled away enough just to look me in the eyes. “Then how does it work? Explain it to me.”
“I didn’t think that you were going to want to be a part of the child’s life. After all, you were just getting used to us and the idea of being in a relationship. I didn’t want to overwhelm you or force you, and I was going to tell you. But I didn’t want that to be the reason that you stayed. And I didn’t want to hear all of the excuses for why you left, either.”
I wasn’t sure what I expected Klaus to say to my little rant. I didn’t know if he was going to be upset or mad or another feeling. But I was preparing myself for any emotion he might feel. His hand rested against my back, and he lifted my chin and pressed our lips together to kiss me. I couldn’t contain the moan that escaped from my lips. It had been far too long since I’d felt his lips against mine.
If it were up to me, this glorious man would be kissing me a multitude of times every day.
When he pulled away, Klaus continued to look into my eyes. “Clara,” he said my name the way that I liked. It rolled off of his tongue and made me look up at him. My focus didn’t hesitate from him. As far as I was concerned, Klaus and I were the only ones in the world. Nothing could make me look away from him.
“Yes?”
Klaus seemed to get a little bit nervous, as he swallowed. “I need to say something to you,”
he stated. “Before I lose the courage.”
“Yes?”
“I love you,” he admitted. “No, I’m in love with you.”
There was no way that this was actually happening. I’d dreamt about this moment, but I hadn’t thought my dreams would actually come true. Yes, there had been that one time when he’d seemed like he was going to confess to my father. But after that, I had heard nothing, which had caused me to lose hope in every hearing them from him.
But I just had.
My heart rate was accelerating. I swallowed. “What did you just say?” I asked him. This had better not be yet another dream.
“I’m in love with you.”
“Can you say it one more time?”
“I can say it as many times as you want me to.” Klaus tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I love you more than life itself, Clara. Do you need me to say it again?” He was smirking at me.
“No, I don’t.” I laughed before I grabbed his cheeks in my hand and kissed this man like today was my last day on earth. I wanted him to feel how much I appreciated his words and how I felt the exact same way. My tongue darted into his mouth, and our tongues danced before I pulled away from him.
“I love you, Klaus,” I said and offered him a smile. His lips curved upwards, into a smile, and I could tell that he was happy to hear my words. His arms wrapped around me tighter.
“Can you say it again like six more times? I have to make sure that I’m hearing you right.”
“Oh, shut up.” We laughed.
“But seriously,” Klaus looked at me. “We are both in this together, for better or for worse. This is my kid, too, and both you and the baby deserve the best. I won’t stop until that’s what you get.”
Epilogue
Klaus
“That’s a stripper’s name,” Clara pointed out, her eyes narrowed at me. I’d been with her for nearly six months now, and her stomach was finally starting to get big and prominent. I didn’t know what it was, but the fact that she was getting big, carrying my child, it was a prideful thing. I was getting more excited the closer that her due date approached.
“It is not a stripper’s name,” I argued with her. I was beginning to realize just how OCD my girlfriend was, in a way that I’d never noticed before. We’d been going back and forth on a baby’s name for the past two hours. She hadn’t liked a single name that I’d thought of, but I really thought that Jewel was the one.
“It really is, babe,” she argued.
“I knew a Jewel once,” I retorted. “She was beautiful and really sweet.”
“Yeah, was that before or after you slept with her? Because I’m sure she wasn’t too sweet after.”
My lips pursed. “You’re the worst, you know that?” She laughed, and I just rolled my eyes. “You don’t like any of my ideas.”
“Well, I’m the one pushing the watermelon out of my vagina. I think I’m entitled to veto names.”
“I’m the one who helped make the watermelon.”
“Aw, how about you give yourself a firm pat on the back?”
I knew that she was being sarcastic, but I did it anyway. “Hm, I do feel better, thank you.”
Clara was sitting on my lap, her legs laid across from me. Her beautiful hair was flowing down her shoulders, and she was wearing some yoga pants and a maternity shirt. Some people may have thought that she’d been hotter when she wasn’t pregnant, but damn, I thought she was the best-looking thing now. I couldn’t get enough of her.
“What about Callie?” I suggested. It seemed like a cute enough name.
Clara gasped. “It’s always been my dream to give my daughter an elegant name but call her a nickname. What about Calista, and we call her Callie?” Clara raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew that was as close as she was getting to begging.
“I like it.” I nodded. “Now, what about if it’s a boy?”
Clara frowned at me. “It’s not going to be a boy.”
“What if it is?”
“Then we push it back in.”
Was she actually being serious? I rolled my eyes at her. “Yeah, let’s stick to that plan.”
“Good.” Clara was beaming at me.
The door opened, and her father came outside with plates so that we could eat the barbecue he had asked one of his chefs to make. It smelled delicious and waiting for it to be finished was the hard part.
I sent him a casual glance. Our relationship had been patched up since everything went down. It wasn’t like it used to be, and I didn’t think that it was ever going to be back to the way it used to be. But that was okay. He wasn’t my best friend anymore. He was about to become my father-in-law and the grandfather of my baby.
“Are you ready to eat?” Antonio asked us. I nodded and was quick to stand up so that I could make Clara’s plate. I knew that she would complain about it, she always did, because she liked to think that she was still capable of doing these things herself. But the bigger that she got, the more that I wanted to do everything for her, much to her dismay.
“Are you about to do it?” Antonio asked me while we were inside.
“Now’s as good a time as any.”
I went back outside once I’d made her plate and set it down in front of her. I was nervous, and my leg was shaking. But I was ready. It was about time that I officially made this woman mine, for once and for all.
“Clara,” I said her name.
“Yes?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen in the world. Your smile can light up a room, and a day that I don’t get to say ‘good morning’ to you is a bad start to my day. You’re the most annoying and stubborn person that I’ve ever met, but it makes me love you more. I want to spend this day and the rest of my days with you and raise a family with you.” I got down onto one knee, and her hand covered her mouth. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She exclaimed with hesitation. “A thousand times yes!”
I put the ring on her finger, and she jumped on top of me.
“It’s about time you asked!” She shrieked.
I laughed. “I love you.”
“I love you more.”
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Blurb
My new boss, Ezra Ledger, isn’t looking for a relationship.
And that’s fine. Because neither am I.
But he just so happens to have plenty of other things I’m looking for.
If nothing else, he has plenty I like looking at.
Even if I am a Nanny to his kids, and he is my boss.
I can handle it. Just look, don’t touch.
But that mouth-watering body, kissable lips, and smoldering eyes.
Boyfriend material he is not, but eye candy? Star of my sexual fantasies?
Check and check. He’s more than qualified for all of the above.
There’s no denying the electricity that runs between us.
But being with him means I could lose my job.
Is that a risk I’m willing to take?
Just one night. That’s what he whispered to me in the night.
And then we could both move on. Pretend like it never happened.
One night of wild, hot, mind-blowing sex…
And then we put it all to rest.
I should have known that was too good to be true.
Ezra is like a drug that I can’t quite kick.
It’s hard to care about my job… when he’s the forbidden fruit in front of me.
One night? As if. I’m way too in over my head to keep that promise.
Things don’t always go as planned...
So now what happens when I’m left with a secret that could change everything?
***
Quinn
Kayley tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. “If I wasn’t being offered a job at Maven Publishing then there’s no way that I would be quitting this,” she said, honestly. “It’s so high paying, I almost don’t want to leave. But as you know, I’ve always wanted to be a publisher, and life isn’t always about the money.”
I couldn’t stop the chuckle from leaving my lips. Kayley was my best friend, as beautiful as she was talkative. She had luscious auburn hair that she’d recently cut to shoulder length. Everyone had been so against it, but I’d known she’d rock it regardless. And then she had defined features that made me think she could have been a model in another life. Her eyes were an intense shade of grey that always seemed to reel people in, especially men, whom she could never get rid of.
And she never stopped talking. That was probably how our relationship worked so well. I didn’t talk enough, and she talked too much. But I wasn’t complaining. She definitely knew how to fill the silence in a room, which was usually needed when I was involved.
Besides, the words she was talking about now were very important. She used to work as a nanny, making a six-figure salary, and now, she was passing that job to me. I was more than eager to accept it, especially with all of the bills I had on my plate. It all seemed so surreal, like I was about to wake up from a dream.
“I know,” I responded. In the decade that I’d known her, she’d made it clear that she would, one day, own a publishing company of her own, and nothing was going to stop her from reaching that goal. Even if that meant turning down a six-figure salary and settling for five figures, she would chase her dream job.